Epidemiology and Risk Factors in Pancreatic Cancer

Lee, Woo Jin

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer, although an uncommon tumor, is one of the most lethal tumors. The incidence of pancreatic cancer in Korea has increased over the past 15 years, with about 3, 000 cases annually. It appears to correlate with increasing age, and it is slightly more common among men. Because of high mortality rate, pancreatic cancer now rank fourth as a cause of death from cancer in Korea. Some diseases and medical conditions such as diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, as well as environmental and lifestyle risk factors, and occupational and genetic conditions. may play important role in the etiology of pancreatic cancer. The most consistently identified environmental risk factor is smoking, but there is less certainty concerning dietary factors. Studies have suggested a positive association with high energy intake, cholesterol and meat, while vegetable and fruit intakes are probably protective. Patients with chronic pancreatitis and new onset of diabetes mellitus have a low but increasing risk of having or developing pancreatic cancer. A family history of pancreatic cancer is an important risk factor, but only a small proportion can be linked with known familial cancer syndromes. Until the development of new methods for early diagnosis and better modalities for therapeutic intervention, primary prevention is the most effective approach to reduce the incidence of pancreatic cancer.